Letter from the Editor

We begin our twelfth year by examining nongovernmental organizations in the political realm. Our lead article summarizes the laws and best practices related to NGOs’ political activities. It’s the work of a team of experts assembled by the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law. Next, Eduardo Szazi, Professor of Law, Getulio Vergas Foundation, Brazil, and a member of ICNL’s Advisory Council, considers the NGO as a potential counterweight to official bureaucracy.

This issue also features Consuelo Castro evaluating Advisory Councils in Mexico, which help foster relations between government and civil society. The author is Legal Director at the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI), a member of the Technical Advisory Council, and a member of the Advisory Council of ICNL. The next article assesses the role of the state as supervisor of Peruvian NGOs. The author, María Beatriz Parodi Luna, is an Attorney; a Partner of BP& MN, Legal Consultants; and also a member of the Advisory Council of ICNL. Philippe-Henri Dutheil, chairman of the International Not-for-Profit Organizations Network for Ernst & Young and another member of ICNL’s Advisory Council, summarizes the laws governing endowment funds in France. Katerina Ronovska, an assistant professor of civil law at the Masaryk University of Brno, Czech Republic, explains the legal framework for external supervision of Czech NGOs. Finally, Pesh Framjee explains the rules facing insolvent charities in Britain. The author is the Head of the Unit providing services to Not For Profit Organisations at Horwath Clark Whitehill LLP, as well as Special Adviser to the Charity Finance Directors’ Group.

As always, we thank our authors for their incisive and informative articles on some of the most pressing issues confronting civil society.